Wednesday, April 30, 2008

I was giving birth to my #1 son. He was such a wonderful child. It was a true blessing when we welcomed him into our home.

He was born on base, back when Malmstrom had a real hospital. My husband at that time was a security police specialist who worked on campers which meant he would leave at all hours of the day or night. That morning I was not sleeping well (if you have been pregnant you know how that is) and kept getting up to use the bathroom. At about 3:30AM the phone rang for him to go to work. I used the bathroom again and went to sit on the bed when my water broke. He called work back & we headed to the hospital.

At 4PM our little boy was born. I remember the look on my husbands' face and how proud he was as he called his family in Minnesota. My parents came to visit him just after dinner.

It's funny how life changes over 22 years. Today I am on speaking terms with the ex after many years of animosity and turmoil. He called to sing the boy "happy birthday" before I left for work.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

I had a fun-filled day! I got to spend it with the coolest blogger around-ReAnn! She was kind enough to donate about 7 hours of her day to help me re-arrange and organize my office as well as set up the self-help clinic which will open shortly.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

OK. I feel I should do my best to not create more than my share of junk (although I have my off days) but when a comment on a blog I was perusing today mentioned it was also Hitlers' birthday I had to stop. I laughed so hard I had to leave the office and head to BK for a burger & soda!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

"I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it. I'd prefer you just said thank you and went on your way."

Thursday, April 17, 2008

I had to drive Son#2 & Step to the base to get our new ID cards. Nothing like being out in the bright sunlight when your head & neck hurt... ugh. After the 15 minute wait for the Hubby to get out of the office and the 3 minutes it took for the very nice and professional airman to complete our IDs I found a nail in my front tire.

*sigh*

The hubby filled it up at the base gas station so I could get to the tire store.

In under 30 minutes the great guys at BigO tires fixed it and rotated the tires!

Over at Raising Country Kids, Erin has a post titled I earned the Mrs. I read it over & shot off a quick reply that when you read it over looks to flame her. I did not mean it that way. I just stated that I did not agree with the entire post but I think it was well done.

Now I have spent a bit of time re-reading the post and really thinking about what it was that I was first taken back by I can try to respond more clearly.

I think one main point was she is offended by strangers who address her (by mail) as Ms. Married instead of Mrs. Married. I really don't argue that but I usually ignore mail such as that because it is obviously either created by a computer or from a company which has not had prior dealings with me. It's just mail.

I did get a laugh out of her statements about pregnancy/childbirth being part of her"right" to be called Mrs. I have given birth to four children as well but my labor added up to much more... and really that doesn't mean anything. Many other women have had more children with more labor & some have had fewer children with less labor. It really doesn't define you as a Mrs. It makes you a mother. period. If I really wanted to go on about adoption or surrogacy....*OMG* I'll stop now.

She made a jib about her degree. I have to throw it out there I have a BS in Education...but if I remember correctly she has a BS in writing/journalism....hands down funnier than mine!

"Common sense" is really hard to define these days. In some cultures a child gets a hyphenated name containing both parents' names and I believe there is one culture where the man takes the womans' surname. Montana traditional "common sense" would be if Bob Smith marries Jane Doe she would be Jane Smith and the children kid1, 2 & 3 Smith. But I think we live in a very complicated age. Multiple marriages, unwed mothers and absent fathers make FAMILY a complex concept.

Now does a title define a person? I have to say not totally. I have a Masters degree but no one calls me Master Maidenname-Droopy (I prefer Mistress anyway...ROFL) and my husband is NOT Mr. Droopy his correct title is Technical Sergeant (TSgt) Droopy.

I worked for several years to get my BS before I remarried. I was also divorced for over 10 years. My divorce was very ugly & in the end I gave his name back & my youngest did not even get his name. That had a big influence on my current name. Names do define us to a point. Although my legal name may read Zen Panda Maidenname-Droopy; my friends call me Z, my hubby calls me Panda and at work they call me Zen or Mrs. Droopy occasionally even Ms. Maidenname. They are all ME. I am comfortable enough with me and all that I have experienced to become ME to know that the two or three letters before my name are not as important to me as who I believe I am.

I really did like the piece she wrote...it made me think about something less frustrating than work!

Monday, April 7, 2008

1. Obama & Clinton do not seem to address issues which affect MY life.2. He has a military background which gives him insight to the GWOT.3. His stance on Military & VA issues was laid out very clear in the magazine i read when I was at Fort Harrison a while back. (When I figure out the magazine I will link here)

Unlike many people in Montana, the military affects my life everyday. My husband just reenlisted for 6 more years. Son#1 is impacted by changes to VA benefits.